“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom” — Isaiah 40:28 NIV

It seems that increasingly, my Instagram feed is filled with more and more poems, quotes, and graphics that are intended to be encouraging and uplifting. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a point in my life where I was really into these, too, before I knew Jesus. In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to wholesome and uplifting quotes and sayings. I remember specifically several dark times in my life when I would come to Pinterest to read and re-read these affirming and uplifting, pseudo-spiritual inspirational quotes. 

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about—beautiful words written by Rupi Kapur and other Instapoets that seem to highlight how things will always work out,  and my personal favorite and the inspiration behind this blog: that the universe has your back.

As humans, we love these, and I totally get it. I experienced that. When the world around us or our personal world is dark and heavy, we want to feel encouraged. We crave stability, certainty, and above all, peace. We desire so deeply to know that there is purpose in the hurt and the mess, and that we’re going to be okay, that it’s all going to be okay. 

These words are beautiful and certainly can be uplifting. The intention behind them is good, but friends, these words are not the Truth that we should rely on to sustain us. They are not rooted in a firm, unshakable foundation. They are nice for a fleeting moment of peace, until we experience more pain, more brokenness, more sickness, more death. 

How do you tell someone who’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer that the universe has their back? How about someone who has experienced infertility or a miscarriage? Or a Ukrainian refugee running for their safety and their life? 

Did I feel like the universe was for me when I got breast cancer at 24 years old? When I faced a double-mastectomy just 5 months after getting married? Oh, and did I mention my wedding happened during a pandemic? 

These are all real-life experiences that are not unlike so many of your stories. These are the realities of a broken and fallen world, and they can leave us seriously considering what we believe in and where (or in what or whom) we are putting our faith.

Putting our faith in “the universe” is like  building a house on sinking sand. It’s well-intentioned but misguided and misplaced hope. It doesn’t actually have the power to help, change, or sustain us. So what do we do, then? Where do we turn when these nice Instagram squares with pretty words fail us in our darkest hours?

The Truth, my sweet friends, is that there is in fact a real, bright, brilliant hope that withstands (and has withstood) the test of time and the trials of this world. His name is Jesus.

No, the universe is not for you. It does not have your back. That is the reality of this earthly home. But there IS a living, breathing God who is for you, all of the time, Who loves you beyond your comprehension, no matter what you have done or what has been done to you. 

There is a good and faithful Father whose Word has been prophesied, tested, and proven many times over. There is a Lord who is working all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). There is a higher power, one of ultimate sovereignty, who leaves His 99 to find the one who is lost, hurting, and broken (Matthew 18:12). To find me. To find you. He fulfills every promise He makes, and He never fails. 

There is a Savior who experienced the very same trials we know so well, and who died on a cross because of His love for us. And best of all, there is an empty tomb, and a Risen Lord seated at the right hand of the Father. 

This is the Truth that is built on a firm foundation. These are the Words that we cling to when we have nothing else, when “the universe” has failed us, and when we don’t know where else to turn. These are the never-failing promises in which we can put our hope because we know that they are tried and true. And as believers, we’re able to cling to these Truths just as much on our best days as we are on our worst days, because we know they are valid.

So, while these inspirational Instagram quotes are nice for a moment, my prayer is that we continue to find the Lord’s peace and reassurance in His Word above all else. I pray that as His followers, we build our confidence, worth, and faith on His eternal Truths, and not the temporary niceties of this world. I pray that He continues to pour out His grace and mercy on us each day, and that we experience His presence tangibly when we need it most.

Lord God, You are so good. You are so faithful. Thank You for giving us Your Word that is filled with SO many physical reminders of how much You love us and how You are always working on our behalf! Thank You that You are for us in a world that is not. We praise You, Jesus, and we put our hope in You alone! May You continue to be glorified and magnified on the altars of our lives.

- Kailee Clough